Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones/Chapter Summary
This page aims to provide a detailed plot summary of each of the chapters in Phase 1. Prologue Propaganda Video The story opens with a propaganda video for the recruitment of new gauntlet knights from the AOU's children, which showcases the abilities of the gauntlet knights in a very bombastic fashion. The video shows the gauntlet used in action by a boy soldier. Upon whistle cues, he floats off the ground and flies around an airstrip at will. The narration tells the audience that these gauntlets give soldiers the mobility and speed of the best fighter jets, while the Anti-G 8MS in their bodies are able to ease the g-forces on their bodies. The scene switches to a camera pursuit from a plane, and the soldier proceeds to demonstrate "ricochet flying" by rapidly changing his trajectory in mid-flight without losing speed. Because of this, the fire control system is unable to target the gauntlet knight. Despite such ability, gauntlet knights are shown to not be restricted in take-off and landing, being able to do so anywhere a human can stand. The video then showcases the gauntlet's firepower capabilities. Due to the Dimension Container System, gauntlet knights are able to carry a tremendous amount of weaponry with them, sometimes up to the amount of an attack carrier. After this, the video shows off the unique Rejection Shield system of the gauntlets, which can easily deflect a barrage of bullets from a spot in front of the gauntlet knight. The scene shifts to show the boy make it through an explosion unharmed due to the Rejection Shield. The video finally closes with the narration calling the gauntlet knights the future of military warfare, and calling young boys and girls to join them as gauntlet knights. Viewing Theater An old officer compliments the video, but suggests that it be made shorter and flashier. The other officers bring up the duration regulations but also show deference to his authority. Okonogi watches the scene and cynically criticizes the video in his mind. The gauntlet knight capabilities were still theoretical, and the video had exaggerated the contraptions abilities while omitting its shortfalls. The eyes of the boy in the video had ruptured after the excessive ricochet flying, and he was rendered unconscious. The Dimension Container was also prone to malfunctioning when opened, causing immediate explosions. The Rejection Shields too had only become stable recently, and still had issues when used while flying at high speeds. Still, he comments that the propaganda video would be effective for recruitment, and decides that the technology would more or less only end up used in simulations anyway. The old officer asks about the boy in the video, hoping to meet him and give his career a boost. Okonogi however tells him that the boy perished in the line of duty, and his narration notes that the boy had actually been killed during the explosion scene due to messing up on the deployment of his shield, likely because of overwork. The video was thus edited in order to cover up this fact. As a secretary guides the old officer to a car, he comments on the fact that Miyao, a gauntlet knight from AOU Japan, will be representing the AOU during the upcoming International Battle Standard Festival. Okonogi expresses his cynicism that the skinny boy is acting as their representative. Chapter 1: Battle Standard Festival Super Tokyo Tower Miyao stands wearing a gauntlet on the top of the Super Tokyo Tower, 666 meters above the ground. He takes a deep breath and steps off the edge, plummeting down in freefall. The instant before he smashes into the ground, Miyao changes his trajectory to a right angle, leaving a white phosphorescence like angel feathers at the position he ricocheted off from. As Miyao passes through the city, he describes the sights of A3W Tokyo, which had a 19th century architectural feel to it. The trains seemed to run on a steam engine, but their source of fuel was the newly discovered fuel Spiritium, which exceeded the capabilities of nuclear power. It expels large clouds of mist when used. Despite his misgivings about society, Miyao is thankful for his ability to fly freely like this. Keropoyo, the frog mascot of the Selcom, appears in the corner of Miyao's mental display to inform him that a friend is nearby. Miyao's partner "Supergenius" Jayden shows up to tease him over the mental display, and offers to compete against him. Miyao begrudgingly agrees, and the two register each other as hostile, locating each other through their Reaper's Eyes. They begin circling the Miyu Spiritium building. Miyao makes the first move, launching a burst of guided missiles towards Jayden, whose trajectories could be individually controlled by him. He then immediately summons a massive gatling gun and fires it off to intercept Jayden's missiles heading towards him. Jayden similarly intercepts Miyao's missiles. Jayden changes tactics and bursts through the 58th floor of the building, which is a single observation deck restaurant. Miyao barely manages to dodge Jayden's attempt to slam into him, but the sudden trajectory change consumes almost all the Anti-G 8MS in his body. While waiting to recharge, he is left unable to do anything but freefall straight down. Jayden takes advantage of this and aims a .50 caliber heavy machine gun at him, and Keropoyo proceeds to mock Miyao's predicament. Taking advantage of Jayden's attention being focused on him, Miyao summons a missile in freefall directly above Jayden, set to explode after a few seconds delay. Jayden manages to activate his Rejection Shield in time, and comments that Miyao had probably expected this and deployed the missile knowing the shrapnel would also hit himself at this close of a range otherwise. The two then rapidly charge at each other. Upon collision, the two of them are left in freefall. However, due to Miyao's shorter stature, only Jayden's arm was able to hit the other person. Miyao cries out in frustration over this, exclaiming that he hated this arm and would rather replace it with a rocket fist. Jayden laughs at him, but internally remarks at Miyao's skill. Miyao however vents that he should have won, and then proceeds to provide a barrage of criticism on the detailed shortcomings of Jayden's combat performance. Jayden resigns himself to listening to him, but notes that his observations are accurate and show that he's really looking out for his opponents. At the end of it, Jayden is complimented on the good points of his performance. Jayden is embarrassed at blushing from a guy's compliments, and reaffirms his friendship with Miyao. Keropoyo notifies them on the arrival of four more friends, who are their squadmate from Warcat Gunhild and the three members of Grave Mole squad: Chloe, Lilja, and Koshka. Jayden feels mild irritation at the others interrupting their flirting. Lilja and Koshka register themselves as hostile, the former taunting both her opponents and Koshka. Chloe exasperatedly tries to stop them from fighting. Gunhild agrees that they should do a squad battle and also registers as hostile, commenting that Chloe despite appearances is probably also on board with this. The six of them then proceed to battle. Battle Standard Festival At a stadium of people, military planes fly overheard as an announcer provides commentary. The Battle Standard Festival sees the participation of the Five Great Factions (The Arctic Ocean Union, Central Ocean Union, Abrahamic Brother Nations, Africa Commonwealth Realm, and Latin American Treaty Organization) in an Olympic event style military contest. It is hosted by AOU Japan this year. The announcer thanks the soldiers for supporting the Walls of Peace. Virtual Room An old instructor describes the concept of Kennedy's Powder Keg, who watch his lecture from their mental displays. He draws an image of it on the blackboard using his mental tablet, before asking them to excuse his poor drawing and to look up an image of the keg with their own mental tablets. While the studious ones did so, other students were using them to watch television, play games, or mentally chat with their friends in virtual rooms. Kennedy's Powder Keg was filled with the "gunpowder" of conflict, and its boards represented the military might of each country that sealed the gunpowder. When one board was removed, all of the gunpowder would pour out, illustrating the importance of each country carrying out its duty in maintaining military might to prevent the outbreak of conflict. This philosophy was the opposite of that in the B3W era, where disarmament and pacifism had been extolled. Because of the outbreak of World War III despite this, the philosophy of pacifism was seen as foolish and negligent in the current A3W era. The International Peace Mediation Association was tasked with maintaining a healthy military balance across all countries, in order to preserve world peace. The borders of the keg were known as the Walls of Peace, and military might was seen as a bitter but necessary "nutrient" for the health of human society. Soldiers were also redefined as servants of international peace. Toujirou, a middle aged man, and Seshat, a young woman in a skimpy Egyptian-mythology themed outfit, look upon the scene. Toujirou, who addresses Seshat as Grand Master, comments that military might is a double-edged sword, and expresses his belief that an alternative way should be sought both by proponents and opponents of it. Seshat remarks that debate between people is merely a means to an end, and cannot be used as an end in itself in guiding the common man. Toujirou agrees, but maintains his view that the extreme changes are unpleasant to him. Though humans disliked military might in the B3W era, they did not abandon their dislike of other races, and the door to World War III was opened by a the military actions of a few people with self-righteous ideals. In contrast, criticism of the military was blasphemous in the A3W era. Ironically, both eras were unable to accept opposing views, and were only able to view things in extremes. Many were unable to accept diversity of opinion, and those who could were often also unable to accept opposition to that belief. Seshat remarks that people can only go where they are led to go, and it is the role of a king to guide them. Toujirou however maintains his faith in humanity, hoping for a miracle to one day occur. The two watch the Battle Standard Festival of Peace together, but for middle-aged people like them, it is little more than an event to enjoy a drink over and bet on. Chapter 2: The Athletes Arrive Mysterious Room A luxurious triangular table is dimly illuminated in a dark room. A hand passes a bag of gold embroidery to a woman, and commands her to open it. The woman opens the bag, and removes from it two gold coins and one silver coin. Battle Standard Festival An announcer provides commentary on the events of the Battle Standard Festival, remarking at the various competitive decisions made by the nations and the new military technology on display. While military soldiers participating in the events fought as if they were enemies, they grew to learn from and respect one another in their interactions, deepening the relationships between nations. The fact that new technologies were put on display also allowed the factions to share in their technologies, preventing an imbalance of military power. However, though the young were the main participants in the event, they were pushed to succeed by the expectations of the old, and there were rumors of bribery and doping behind the scenes. In a waiting room, Okonogi scolds Chloe for not watching over Lilja and Koshka, who had disregarded instructions and gone to get parfaits at the athletes' cafeteria. While the two are able to tease Okonogi, he could not do anything to them due to their positions, and thus took out his anger on Chloe by karate chopping her head. The Warcats comment on the quick recovery times of gauntlet knights, with Jayden also teasing Miyao. Miyao also comments at Gunhild's maturity. In their combat formation, Miyao and Jayden served as Attackers, while Gunhild served as a Supporter. Gunhild filled this role with a great degree of skill, and was often able to beat Miyao or Jayden in one-on-one matches. In contrast was the more problematic squad Grave Mole. According to rumors, Koshka had been granted some sort of "exemption" in exchange for participating in Aerial Augmented Infantry research and human experimentation, and was officially designated not as a soldier but as "equipment". She was the highest tier of equipment and took advantage of her position to disregard Okonogi when it suited her, knowing that he could do nothing against her in return. Lilja was also equipment, and loved to pick fights with Koshka. Despite Chloe's pleas, the two of them only relish seeing her bear Okonogi's anger. Chloe herself was a top gauntlet knight, and could perform extremely well alone when the other two went back to the research center for "maintenance". The Arrival of the Squads The gauntlet knight representatives of the different factions arrive in turn at the virtual room's stadium, where they were able to show off their combat abilities without worrying about safety. Spectators viewed the simulation as if it were happening in reality. The AOU squads enter first. Following them are the two squads from the COU. The first is Baibao led by Lingji, who is supported by Momotake and Aysha. Aysha teases Momotake for his cheesy line. They are followed by Suparna squad, comprising their leader Sujatha and members Rukhshana and Andry. Lilja comments that the squad seems serious and uptight. Andry tries to get Sujatha to loosen up and waves to the crowd. Rukhshana tries to follow him but is admonished by Sujatha. The squads from the ABN arrive next. Thalathat Suyuf is led by Naima, a small and excited girl. Naomi tells her not to get overwhelmed, and Stanisław administers a sedative to her. The next squad is Yeladot Shavit, comprising their leader Leah and members Fatma and Stephania. The three of them excitedly gossip about a relationship between two members of the audience. The ACR squads follow them. Rethabile, the leader of Squad 601, gives a haughty declaration, but her other squad members Ishak and Abdou only make fun of her. Gannet from Cairo Squad eagerly tries to engage their leader Noor with the scene, but she expresses her frustration at her in return and tries to strike up a conversation with Mariana. Mariana on the other hand agrees with Gannet and tries to pet her, but is rebuffed, and the three of them make up a triangle of one-sided affection. Finally, the announcer introduces the two referees fielded by LATO: Valentina and Maricarmen. LATO had unfortunately been unable to field a team due missing the deadline as a result of internal disagreements. While the gauntlet knights were a symbolic representation of the world's military might, many older people in the audience were skeptical of their abilities, possibly in part due to their own frustration that they could never wield the Gauntlets. Gauntlet users were required to be able to perform a "Dreissig Conversion" on Spiritium, as well as have high parallel processing ability, the latter of which required special training from a young age. The efforts and achievements of old military soldiers seemed to have their weight displaced by the power of this new technology. Okonogi receives a complaint from the Director General about Koshka's yawning and complains about Chloe. At that moment, Chloe lets out a sneeze. Mysterious Room The dimly lit triangular room was filled with ornate furnishings, and had a ceiling so high it could not be seen. Sitting at the three sides of the table are the Three Kings (of Ridicule, Fury, and Sorrow), whose faces are shrouded by masks and hands are covered with white gloves. The three of them watch the Battle Standard Festival through their mental displays. The Kings lament the state of humanity and ask Jestress to turn off the broadcast. Jestress appeared to play the role of a secretary, but also possessed the privilege of being allowed to mock them much like a court jester would. While her hands are exposed, the center of her face is concealed by a triangular visor with an eye design on it. The King of Sorrow gives a passing mention of his granddaughter. The Three Kings lament the stubbornness of humans and their resilience against eradication. They remark that the time has come to bring civilization back to square one, allowing them to put more distance between human society and civilization's end. Jestress delivers a report from the Grand Master of the Ninth Prime Chivalric Order, bringing news that they have managed to sneak members of the Order into ace Gauntlet Knight units from each of the four factions, one member per faction. These members were participants at the Battle Standard Festival. She asks the Kings about their manipulation of public opinion, and they remark that it is going smoothly. The King of Ridicule asks if Jestress' group has still not found the research center, and she remarks that though they have set out his bait, it has not been responded to. The Kings observe that civilization's end is drawing near, and declare that they cannot fail again in bringing it about. Together with Jestress, they declare the motto of the Order: "All is in the name of guiding humanity down the right path". Battle Standard Festival A message is displayed on screen, written by an unknown sender. It tells her that if they remain concealed here, "those people" will surely try to make contact, and promises to report to her on anything that happens immediately. The announcer declares that the first match, involving an attack on a fictional military base, is about to begin. Chloe tells her squad to be serious or she will use her trump card. Meanwhile, the Warcats affirm their friendship and get ready for battle. The message finishes with the Order's motto, and is sent to Jestress. Chapter 3: It's a Wrap Public Bath Arrival at the Public Bath Miyao and Jayden discuss the creation of a virtual room for the Gauntlet Knights of the Battle Standard Festival. They eventually decide to give it appeal to tourist sensibilities for Japan and use the data from their hotel's public bath. Miyao randomly names the room "It's a Wrap Public Bath". Gunhild is excited that the level of detail is such that water feels hot when touched, but remarks that she cannot take off her clothes in her avatar form. As Miyao grants the other Gauntlet Knights access, he expresses concern that geopolitical debates with the COU over the Glass Sea and ACR over the Atlantic Spirit Field might flare up. Baibao squad is the first to introduce themselves, and Momotake remarks at the indecency and un-Japaneseness of AOU Japan to host the celebration in a public bath. Aysha suggests that Lingji might change to a nude avatar to match the setting, much to Momotake's embarrassment. Momotake tells Lingji she need not do such an undignified thing, but she instead suggests that the dignified thing might be to change to a bath towel avatar rather than be fully clothed. Suparna squad introduces themselves next, and Andry comments that he, being from Madagascar, would normally be with the ACR, but ended up with the COU instead. Rethabile of Squad 601, which introduces themselves next, suggests that they avoid the topic of the Mozambique Channel dispute for the day. The others mention that Rethabile is a princess of the ACR royal family. Cairo Squad introduces themselves next and the three of them display their one-sided affection triangle. Yeladot Shavit exclaims with glee about the yuri-ness of the scene, and declare that they together will show "humanity's greatest and most miraculous harmony". Stanisław of Thalathat Suyuf tells the others that Yeladot Shavit is in charge of public relations for the ABN, and do pop idol performances as well. The leader of Thalathat Suyuf, Naima, bubbles with excitement and apologizes for going too far in the match before. Lingji and Rethabile tell her to hold her head high, and Naomi gives her some anti-anxiety medication. Finally, Lilja of Grave Mole introduces herself in glowing terms, while throwing shade at Koshka. Chloe apologizes for being late due to getting the room name wrong, and Lilja tells them she looked up "It's a Wrap Public Lust instead". Chloe defends herself by saying that the Kizuna translation tool converted it wrongly, but Aysha adds that this happening must mean that she uses the word "lust" frequently, which she ashamedly denies. Andry points out that in Japanese, "bathhouse" and "lust" are both pronounced "yokujou". The others make jokes about it to Rukhshana's embarrassment. Yeladot Shavit members fantasize about lust between Ishak and Abdou, to the annoyance of several others. Rethabile tries to prevent Naima from looking for a naked avatar mod, while Lilja and Koshka try to egg her on by sending some data of their own. All of the Gauntlet Knights made friends with each other easily despite them being from different factions. While each faction had geopolitical disputes with every other faction, and some of them had wanted to confront each other about them prior, none of this seemed to matter when they actually gathered together. The narration describes national borders as a necessity for the division of different principles and cultures, but that these differences were sometimes not so important for everyday youth. Kizuna Gunhild asks if any of the others use Kizuna, and to her surprise everyone raised their hands. Kizuna is a simple Japanese-made universal translation tool created by the young, which had resisted attempts by large corporations to buy it up. It had gained a large amount of popularity with the young due to its avoidance of paid features, and due to widespread use had trained itself to become even capable of translating modern slang. The tool would allow people to speak in their own native languages but instantly convert what you say into the language used by the Kizuna-using listener. Kizuna had many other functions, and was roughly capable of doing anything that a past-era smartphone could do through the use of mental displays. While adults had difficulty devoting mental resources to utilizing it well, the young were used to background operation and multitasking, a phenomenon referred to as Parallel Processing. Children with a certain skill level at this were called Parallel Processors, and their ability to do this was measured in units of Parallel Processing Power (P3). Due to practical concerns for future technologies, Parallel Processing training was made mandatory for children in countries across the world. The people at the public bath were from the first generation of Parallel Processors. While it was forbidden to use Kizuna on the job, something like this was difficult to detect. Soldiers often preferred using it to inflexible military communication tools, and would chat with each other even during missions. The Gauntlet Knights here ended up using Kizuna for a multitude of reasons. Some were drawn in by the stickers and Keropoyo mascot, while others simply jumped on the bandwagon. Several of them played a free Kizuna game called WanyaDora, and begin bonding with each other over it. Abdou observes that the word Kizuna, meaning "interpersonal bonds" is truly an appropriate name for something that brings together people from around the world. The Gauntlet Knights begin sending friend requests to each other. Overlooking the Glass Sea The Gauntlet Knights naturally shift to the open-air portion of the public bath, which has a scenic view of the Glass Sea. The Glass Sea was created during World War III due to the effect of a solar warhead that annihilated the region of Japan between Gifu and Osaka, dividing the nation into two and leaving behind an ocean of glass. However, as the world had chosen to seal off information regarding World War III, none of those present knew what had created the sea. Even major details like the combatants and resolution of the war were sealed from the public. Naomi wonders why humanity had made the decision not to learn from their mistakes, and Sujatha suggests that they may have realized that it was pointless to. Gunhild adds that humans interpret history in their own ways, and the conflicts between these interpretations can provide new fuel for conflicts. Research on the causes of wars meant to prevent future wars inadvertently ended up causing them instead. Driven to the brink of extinction, humanity thus made the radical decision not to record this history. Information was removed from public access, and research on it was only permitted in specialized institutions. Trying to find out about the war was even made a crime. Jayden and Miyao tell each other that even if they had such knowledge, the details of the war had nothing to do with them, and would not stand in the way of their friendship. The other Gauntlet Knights agree with this sentiment. Gunhild tells them that the one thing the Glass Sea ought to represent is the knowledge that if people around the world became friends, a terrifying ocean like this would never appear again. The Gauntlet Knights decide to affirm their friendship with each other, even despite the fact that they might one day end up in conflict. They decide that their role is not to kill, but merely to buy time for diplomacy by supporting the Walls of Peace. Miyao suggests that they create a code of combat engagement and the others add on to it. Combatants would not kill each other. They would not fire at a retreating opponent whose shield was broken. They decide to call this the Public Bath Oath and swear by it while reaffirming their friendship. Miyao's Mental Space The screen is torn through the center, and another Miyao (henceforth referred to as Miyao) laughs out loud. Miyao mocks Miyao's naivete, telling him that he (Miyao) will be the one doing the killing. Asked by Miyao who he would kill, Miyao shifts the scene to focus on Lingji and Koshka, who are bonding over WanyaDora with him, and tells him that he will kill them by his own hands. He tells Miyao that killing and destroying is the reason he was created in the first place, and that all actions he takes, even becoming a Gauntlet Knight are merely a means to that goal. Miyao tells Miyao that he is one of the many selves within him, and has come to put a stop to the horrible future he is able to create. Miyao however has no idea what he is talking about. Miyao decides to describe the future to him, and tells him that all of them will end up killing each other. Lingji will face Miyao in a close range aerial fight, and due to being unable to deploy her Rejection Shield will end up with her skull crushed by his fist. This would not be a malfunction, but simply a plotline that is carried out. Koshka will end up swallowed by guided missiles fired by Miyao, and even he and Jayden would end up fighting to their deaths. Miyao rejects the images he is shown as illusions, but Miyao calls them a future guaranteed by his existence. He offers Miyao just one way to prevent this future, and that is to will himself to disappear. Miyao tells him that his biographical details are merely his backstory, and that he is really a program of destruction given that name. Public Bath Valentina and Maricarmen enter the room. Valentina turns out to have encountered the same translation error that Chloe did, and Maricarmen makes the same joke. Upon entering, they are inundated with a barrage of friend requests. They introduce themselves, and Maricarmen tells them they can call her Mari. They decide to perform the Public Bath Oath again for the new arrivals. Chapter 4: Parallel Processors Gauntlet Knight Training During an AOU Gauntlet Knight training session, Miyao ends up going off on Jayden with his "lecture mode", overwhelming him with a barrage of trajectory data while chiding his flight inefficiency. Due to this, they end up stalling their training for a moment and are caught by Okonogi in the training room. The gauntlet knights however do not take him seriously and make fun of him via mental communication. Chloe accidentally utters her thoughts in speech, a phenomenon known as "self-destructing", and Okonogi responds by doubling down on their training. Public Bath After the training, some of the boys from the Battle Standard Festival gathered back at the virtual public bath to hang out and complain about their instructors. The location had become a sort of international gathering spot for the participants, who were now good friends. Due to their ability to parallel process, the young could chat with their friends in a virtual room regardless of their current activities in the physical world. The development of new drugs also eliminated the need for sleep, rendering the concept of time zones meaningless. Shopping District Similarly, the shopping district that Jayden was strolling through was also still bustling with activity. As he wanders through it, his mind ruminates over Miyao's lectures and Miyao himself. To Jayden, Miyao was the only person who he felt outmatched him as a Gauntlet Knight, and the criticisms made in his lectures were always valid. Today however, instructor Okonogi had interrupted Miyao's lecture before he could finish off with his usual compliment, and this fact inexplicably left Jayden feeling down. Game Center Jayden realizes that he's brooding on Miyao's words way more than he should be. Scanning his surroundings through an information filter, he decides to visit a recommended game center nearby. Though any game could be played on a mental display in this era, game centers still retained their social significance as a site for gamers to bond while playing or watching each other. As Jayden connects to his seat, he is prompted to enter his Kizuna ID to qualify for a promotional campaign. He however had decided to leave his Kizuna turned off, as he often did when he some time alone from his friends. The game he had chosen was a Gauntlet Knight simulation game, modeled after the actual military simulator and real-world military ships. After getting a feel of the controls, he decides to go for the highest difficulty setting: "Real Gauntlet Knight". The crowd at the game center goes wild over his immense skill at such an infamously difficult setting, which helps to restore his cheerful mood. Prompted again by the system for his Kizuna ID, Jayden decides to give in and turns it on. He immediately receives a notification that a friend is nearby, and looks around the game center for the source of the signal. Before he can go back to check the details on the notification however, his friend decides to turn their Kizuna off. He scans the store and notices the shadow of a person who looks like Miyao leave through the back door. Shopping District Jayden pursues the person and calls out to Miyao, anxiously asking if he had done something to upset his friend. The person however does not respond. Jayden finally catches up and grabs hold of the person's arms. Looking at the person's face and body, it seemed evident that they must be Miyao, but something about them seemed a little different, and struck Jayden as feminine. Confused, he asks if the person is indeed Miyao, but his question is met with denial. Restaurant Jayden decides to take the person to a nearby store. There, he begins wonder if this may be a case of Miyao being a Congenital Parallel Processor (CPP). CPPs are people who are born with multiple consciousnesses in the same body. Consequently, they have a natural talent for parallel processing, and 30% to 60% of Gauntlet Knights are estimated to be CPPs. The person meekly acknowledges that Jayden is right. Jayden reflects on his past and expresses shame regarding his insensitive behavior towards a CPP friend. His past lack of understanding was something that was still quite common in this era, and few CPPs would come out about it due to this. Feeling regret for his past actions, he decides that he ought to make an effort to treat his friend right. He asks about his friend's name and gender identity, and the person responds that her name is Meow. Meow apologizes for running away from Jayden and not telling him. While appreciative of his efforts, she tells him not to worry too much about appropriate behavior, since it made the situation a little uncomfortable for her. She tells him that both Miyao and her are present at the same time, and the two divide their observation work during training. Miyao was the main personality, and as such Meow was often kept hidden away. The two of them had a brother-sister relationship, though other CPP personalities varied depending on the person. At times such as this, Meow would put on makeup and spend the night out somewhere far from Miyao's usual haunts, giving her the opportunity to enjoy herself while reducing the chance that someone who new Miyao would find out that they were a CPP. The situation however makes Jayden a little concerned for her safety, and he offers to be her bodyguard the next time she wants to do this. While expressing his desire to protect his partners Miyao and Meow, Jayden finds himself turning red in embarrassment. As they continue their chat, Jayden realizes that Meow was probably the one who would give him that small bit of praise at the end of Miyao's lectures. Meow is surprised that he managed to figure this out, and feels heartened by his words. Jayden wonders if this means Miyao is also watching their conversation, but Meow tells him that she is able to shut Miyao out of her experiences for privacy when she wishes to. The two continue to talk through the night about all sorts of things. Shopping District As dawn begins to break, they decide it time to finally return home. Meow tells Jayden that she wants to go back secretly in order to hide her identity. Jayden however suggests that it may be better for her to go back with him in that case, as he could simply tell anyone who asked that she was a girl friend of his rather than Miyao. Meow blushes as a result of Kizuna's mistranslation of "girl friend" as "girlfriend". Meow remarks that even though technology has advanced this far, communication is still made up of so much more than just words, encompassing everything from body language to emotions to setting. Though this was a complaint made much more often by the older generation, the two really did feel that an electronic world and the communication barriers broken down by technology may still not be able to beat face to face interaction. Chapter 5: Vier Dreissig Chapter 6: An Identity Confusion Violation Chapter 7: The Three Kings Chapter 8: The Third Aptitude Chapter 9: Monster Party Chapter 10: Simultaneous Global Conflicts Chapter 11: The Guardians of Peace Chapter 12: A Gift Chapter 13: Proof of a Program Chapter 14: The Value and True Weight of Peace Chapter 15: Forming a Chivalric Order Chapter 16: It's a Wrap Public Lust? Chapter 17: Don't Die, Don't Kill Chapter 18: God's Scenario Chapter 19: Simultaneous Global Truce and Terror Chapter 20: Disaster Utopia Chapter 21: The Dignity of Returning to Dust Chapter 22: The Second Simultaneous Global Truce Chapter 23: Revolt of the Drones Chapter 24: A Kids' Meal of Natural Disasters Chapter 25: The Hour of the Prophecy